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Europe & Eurasia
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UK to hold social media companies responsible for harmful content
The UK government has announced it will appoint media watchdog Ofcom as an online regulator that will have power to hold social media companies...
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Cyprus, Portugal among states rebuked by EU over delays in money-laundering reforms
Legal warnings have been sent to Cyprus, Portugal, the Netherlands, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain over delays in turning anti-money laundering rules into national laws, the...
Archive
The Netherlands refuses Moscow’s request to prosecute MH17 Russian suspects
The Dutch justice minister, Ferd Grapperhaus, said the Netherlands refused a request by Moscow to consider allowing Russia to prosecute three Russian nationals identified...
Archive
Commission calls on Romania, Greece and Malta to adopt national air pollution control programmes
Romania, Greece and Malta need to adopt their first national air pollution control programmes to limit their annual emissions, according to a warning issued by the...
Analysis
North Macedonia takes a small step forward and one backwards this week
Since being installed in early January in preparation for the country’s April 6 elections, Caretaker Government Labour Minister Rashela Mizrahi, from the ultranationalist VMRO-DPMNE...
Archive
Johnson shuffles UK cabinet
UK prime minister Boris Johnson started carrying out the first major reshuffle of his cabinet since being elected in December.
Sajid Javid resigned as Chancellor...
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EU's chief von der Leyen to testify at German defence inquiry
EU Commission's chief Ursula von der Leyen testifies on Thursday before a German parliamentary committee investigating possible wrongdoing from her side, related to the award of...
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Poland charges ex-officials with embezzlement
Polish prosecutors have charged 10 people, including 4 ex-officials of the ruling Law and Justice party with embezzlement, according to local media.
They have been...
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan vows to strengthen information security
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev has held a meeting on information security in connection with the interethnic conflict in the Kordai region...
Archive
US, German intelligence services spied on governments for decades
US and German intelligence services had access to the top secret communications of governments around the world, from after World War II to the...
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Parliament chief says EU won't approve deep budget cuts
STRASBOURG, France - European Parliament President David Sassoli warned the 27 national governments of the EU member states that MEPs would not support any...
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Four arrested over killing of Northern Ireland journalist
Northern Irish police arrested four men as part of an investigation into the murder of 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee.
The men were arrested over the...
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EU's foreign policy chief Borrell warns of violence if Israel annexes Jordan Valley
EU's Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell urged Israel on Tuesday not to annex the Jordan Valley, warning of Palestinian protests if it went ahead.
"This...
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Finland to become EU’s sole uranium producer
The Finnish government has granted a uranium recovery and refinery permit to Terrafame, making the country the EU’s only uranium producer.
The company’s main activities...
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Italy’s Senate sends Salvini to trial for kidnapping
The Italian Senate decided to allow former interior minister Matteo Salvini to be prosecuted for allegedly holding migrants hostage aboard a coast guard ship.
Last...
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Clash intensifies as MEPs argue over Spain's breach of EU sanctions against Venezuela
European Parliament’s Strasbourg session on Tuesday was heated up by Spanish MEPs who clashed over the Spanish minister’s of Transport meeting with the Vice...
Archive
London police raise privacy concerns with facial recognition tech
London police for the first time started using facial recognition cameras to scan for wanted people. The adoption of the technology has raised concerns...
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UK economic growth in 2019 beats expectations
Newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the UK economy grew in December.UK GDP grew 0.3% in December, despite expectations...
Archive
EU clears the acquisition of OLT by SNAM and FSI
The European Commission said on 12 February the acquisition of joint control over OLT Offshore LNG Toscana (OLT) of Italy by SNAM of Italy...
Archive
Acquisition of Eneco by Mitsubishi Corporation gets EU approval
The acquisition of Eneco Group of the Netherlands by Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) of Japan complies with EU merger regulation, the European Commission said on...
Germany
Kazakhstan’s Tokayev to attend Munich Security Conference
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will attend the Munich Security Conference, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi told reporters on 12 February.
The Munich...
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Israel sentences ex-Islamic Movement leader to jail
An Israeli court sentenced the head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Raed Salah, to 28 months in prison for "inciting...
Archive
Pussy Riot members arrested again while filming a music video
Russian police have detained members of the anti-Kremlin group Pussy Riot, while they attempted to shoot a music video.
Nadya Tolokonnikova and 12 other members...
Archive
UK man convicted of planning terror attacks on London tourist sites
A former Uber driver was convicted of plotting attacks on London tourist sites. He was acquitted of terrorism in 2018 after he was arrested...
Analysis
Greek government offer details about closed facilities for migrants
The Greek government has opted to speed up the process for establishing closed facilities on the country’s islands that are still dealing with the...
Archive
Brussels chief Brexit negotiator slams UK PM for backlashing on EU rules
Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator heavily criticised UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for saying that he will not follow "high-alignment" EU rules...
Archive
Zelensky ousts controversial administration head for chief Russia negotiator
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on February 10 that he had dismissed Andriy Bogdan from his post as Chairman of the President's Office, a...
Archive
Syrian army intensifies attacks in Idlib despite Turkish warnings
Five Turkish soldiers have been killed in an attack carried out on a military base in Idlib province by Syrian government forces.
The Turkish military...
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Lavrov visits Venezuela, reiterates Russia’s support for Maduro
Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov visited Caracas on Friday in a show of support for Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.
Last week, United States’ president Donald...
Archive
ENI starts production at 31 MW photovoltaic plant on Porto Torres
ENI New Energy, a subsidiary of Italian energy major ENI, said on 10 February the company has opened its new photovoltaic park in Porto...
Archive
Kramp-Karrenbauer to step down as CDU leader
Germany's largest party's future was thrown into doubts after Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her plans to step down as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union...
Archive
Croatian PM Plenković tells Michel he wants MFF negotiations concluded during the country's Presidency
Negotiations on the bloc's long-term budget should be concluded within 2020's first half, said Andrej Plenković, the Prime Minister of Croatia during a meeting with Charles...
Archive
Azerbaijan ruling party wins snap parliamentary elections
According to exit polls, long-term president Ilham Aliyev and his ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) won a majority of seats in Azerbaijan’s snap parliamentary...
Environment
Pope Francis to visit region poisoned by toxic waste dumping
Pope Francis will visit an Italian region where illegal toxic-waste dumping by the mob has polluted the environment for decades.
Francis’ 24 May visit to...
Kazakhstan
Mass brawl occurs in southern Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Ten people died and hundreds were injured as a result of an interethnic conflict between Dungans, a group of ethnic Chinese...
Archive
Ireland holds first post-Brexit general election
Ireland held a general election on 8 February, just one week after neighboring Britain’s departure from the European Union.
Based on the latest figures available...
Archive
Scotland's finance minister quits over messages to teenager
Hours before he was due to deliver next year's budget, Scotland's finance secretary, Derek Mackay, resigned over a report in Scottish media that he...
Finland
Finland's president warns of rising anti-Semitism, racism in country
Finland’s president, Sauli Niinistö, urged his nation to show resolve in combating rising racism and anti-Semitism.
“There are signs of anti-Semitism and racism being on...
Energy
Kazakhstan launches construction of 50 MW solar power plant in Almaty
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - Universal Energy’s foreign investors have begun construction of a second solar power plant in southern Kazakhstan, in the Ili district of...
Archive
France strike resumes amid ongoing pension reform
French citizens continued to protest the government reforms in the pension system on Thursday. This is the ninth nationwide strike. People have been protesting...
Archive
Syrian government forces nearly shoot down passenger plane, Russia blames Israel
Russia on Friday said its ally Syria nearly shot down a civilian plane on Friday while trying to repel an Israeli airstrike near Syria’s...
Archive
EU energy commissioner discusses European Energy policy in Denmark
EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson visited Denmark on 6 and 7 February as part of the Commission’s drive to promote the European Green Deal...
Archive
Spanish energy company CEPSA to become greener with EU help
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing €60 million in financing to Spanish energy company CEPSA to develop and implement more sustainable and efficient...
Archive
Europe installs 3.6 GW of new offshore wind capacity in 2019
Europe installed 3.6 GW of new offshore wind capacity in 2019, statistics released on 6 February by WindEurope showed. This is a new record...
Africa
High noon heat in Morocco catalyst for solar power
QUARZAZARTE, Morocco – At the foot of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains, the sun beats down on the vast plateau of the Moroccan high desert...
Analysis
Greek authorities place NGOs under online scrutiny
At this point, more than 20,000 asylum seekers find themselves stuck on Greece’s North Aegean island of Lesbos. The island has been at the...
Archive
Orban renominated as Romanian prime minister
Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis nominated outgoing prime minister Ludovic Orban to form a new government on Thursday, a day after Orban’s cabinet was dismissed...
Archive
Poland to hold presidential election on 10 May
Poland will hold the first round of its presidential election on 10 May, the speaker of parliament announced on Wednesday.
Incumbent president Andrzej Duda has...
Archive
Merkel’s party cooperates with far right to elect liberal state premier
Lawmakers from Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) faced criticism about cooperating on Wednesday, when they voted to install...
Archive
UK, Australia commit to free trade talks
British foreign secretary Dominic Raab visited Australia, where he and Australian foreign minister Marise Payne reaffirmed both sides’ desire for a free trade deal.
Raab...
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